2007-02-19 13:29:29 · 9 answers · asked by BMW M5 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Performing Arts
Was USA the looser in the Vietnam war?
2007-02-19 13:29:53 · update #1
Shoot, this question is in the wrong category.
2007-02-19 13:35:32 · update #2
Maybe not. It depends upon what you mean by "defeat". There actually has been some scholarship to suggest that the US did NOT lose the Vietnam war. One of the more interesting theories goes like this... There were actually three "Vietnam Wars". The first one was lost by the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The second one was won by the Americans. 1963-1973. The third one was lost by South Vietnam. 1973-1975. This theory suggests that the American objective in South Vietnam was NOT to take North Vietnam, but to contain communism in the North and keep it out of the South. The thing is, while the US was in South Vietnam, that mission WAS accomplished. It wasn't until the American forces left in 1973 and turned the area over to South Vietnamese government that America's containment policy failed. So... in that sense... the US did "win" the war as long as America was willing to fight it. Secondly, many have pointed out that the US was never defeated in any large-scale conflict with the Vietcong or the ARNV. Even the Tet Offensive ended with the communist forces being repelled. Thirdly, it has been suggested that America's ten year war in South Vietnam gave other countries in the area (Thailand, Laos, etc.) time to stabilize after de-colonization. So... in that sense, if containment of communism was the true objective, you could say that it was a sort of "victory" for the US. Lastly, Vietnam is rapidly becoming an important trading partner with the US. Hmmmm...... The thing everybody remembers is the helicopters at the embassy and 55,000 American deaths. I would hate to have to explain it to any of the brave men who fought there and disagree, but you could say that Vietnam wasn't quite the "total defeat" that is is often thought of in American culture.
2016-05-24 18:27:23 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The morons were being pollitically correct by calling it a police action cause all the hippies were scared of war ( popular opinion) and definately opposed to it cause they were on so many drugs they couldn't see clearly. Back then the cold war between the ussr and warsaw pac nations and the free world was serious, especially after Russia parked nukes in Cuba.
In the end, its still debatable as to win or loss. It was worth fighting due to the fact that north vietnam set sights on south vietnam, and if we hadnt, we would have looked weak and with communist china, korea, cuba, and the ussr watching, the next logical step would possibly have been war or invasion of japan, which would have brought us into another war anyway. China was poor then but had manpower and expansionist dreams, and japan was the technological asian power on the cusp of an international, technological and financial entrance into the worlds economy.
Looking at all the possibilities, I'd say we won.
2007-02-19 22:31:59 · answer #2 · answered by pyledriver 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Vietnam war was not a war, it was a police action. War was never declared by Congress therefore we have never had a war with Vietnam. We were in the middle of a police action.
So seeing as that there was never a war in Vietnam, then yes I do think we won it.
No matter how you think of it, there were many lives lost on both sides that are worth mourning.
2007-02-19 13:41:14 · answer #3 · answered by nerosbane 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I feel that our government leaders lost the war in Vietnam. they didnt let us fight the war like we fought in world war 1 and 2. it was more of a political action than anything else. if we could have fought the war like we fought in other wars, north vietnam and the vietnam we all know today would be a lot different.
2007-02-19 13:34:18 · answer #4 · answered by SWT 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think they lost the Vietnam war, they lost preventing communism from entering the country. (Only 5 major countries [4 in Asia] that are communist countries). Plus it was intense because the U.S. lost a lot of troops. Like President Harry S. Truman to bomb or not to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To save the American troops or to end the war with the Japanese; I dislike dilemmas.
2007-02-19 13:39:28 · answer #5 · answered by Red Panda 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It wasn't an actual war. It was a police movement, that the US was involved in. So the USA couldn't win or lose.
2007-02-19 13:41:12 · answer #6 · answered by band_nerds_rock2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had a war wit Vietnam...........
2007-02-19 13:38:39 · answer #7 · answered by Justin 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes. live by the sword, die by the sword.
fighting for freedom is like special olympics. even if you win, you're still retarded.
2007-02-19 14:05:05 · answer #8 · answered by Jae Lynn 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no!!!
2007-02-19 13:32:50 · answer #9 · answered by mattatfulldraw_8pt 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋